This sculptural portrait of a man is a fragment: originally, the chest and likely also the hands were included. Raised above the reclining body, the head suggests potential action and interaction. Visitors to the tomb would have looked straight into the large, shiny eyes, which consist of back-painted sheets of glass which creates a lifelike sheen.

Most sculptural portraits from Roman Egypt are made of plaster. Production was streamlined with the help of molds. The hair and beard of the man here, added by hand, follow Roman styles that were popular at the time. Painted on the back of the neck is a mummified person flanked by female mourners, a reference to the funerary ritual. Using technical imaging, conservation staff discovered patterns on the cloak of the man at left, now faded and nearly invisible to the naked eye.

The exhibition "Funerary Portraits from Roman Egypt: Facing Forward," foregrounds scientific analysis and technical research conducted by staff in the Harvard Art Museums’ Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies. Come face to face with portraits of Egyptians who lived during the Roman period and discover what role these images played in funerary rituals as well as what modern technical study can reveal about ancient artistic practices.

This sculptural portrait is on view in the Unversity Research Gallery between August 27, 2022–December 30, 2022.

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK:
+ Fragmentary Portrait of a Man, Late 2nd-early 3rd century CE, Egyptian Roman Imperial Period. Plaster with remains of paint and glass inlays. Harvard Art Museums, Gift of Dr. Robert Waelder, 1965.551. [ Ссылка ]
+ Explore more via the exhibition digital tool: [ Ссылка ]
+Visit the exhibition "Funerary Portraits from Roman Egypt:" [ Ссылка ]

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Video: September 1, 2022. Videographer: John Neely. © President and Fellows of Harvard College. For questions related to permission for commercial use of this video, please contact the Department of Digital Imaging and Visual Resources at am_divr@harvard.edu.

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